Senator Wiener re-introduces 4 AM nightlife bill

Thanks to state Senator Scott Wiener, you may have a second (or third, or fourth—we’ve lost track) chance at keeping the party going in California ’til 4 AM.

You thought that bill didn’t pass, you say? Us too. The process has been a convoluted one, and the bill to extend nightlife hours in California passed the Senate in 2017, but stalled and died in the State Assembly’s appropriations committee.

This time, instead of taking a statewide approach, Senator Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, has re-introduced a similarly late night targeted bill. The bill, formally known as Senate Bill 905, will “create a five-year pilot program giving six cities—San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, West Hollywood, and Long Beach—the option to extend the hours for alcohol sales at bars, nightclubs, and restaurants; but not liquor stores.”

The smaller, more curated, and conservative approach, was proposed in January of this year. It is the hope of Senator Wiener that this more finely tailored bill will present positive results for the nightlife and tourism industries of these cities, and act as a case study for potential statewide implementation.